Detroit Free Press: 'Rochelle Riley: Sphinx music organization flourishes as it enriches young lives'

Violinist Annelle Gregory, 17, of Escondido, Calif., was a finalist in the Sphinx Junior Division competition. / Rob Darmanin

[Aaron Dworkin, right, founder and president of the Sphinx Organization, presents an award to actor Delroy Lindo on Feb. 17 at the Bloomfield Hills home of Richard DeVore, left. DeVore is regional president of PNC Bank of southeast Michigan.  / Rob Darmanin]

Detroit Free Press
Rochelle Riley
February 24, 2013

Three virtuosos stroll into the parlor of Richard DeVore's spacious Bloomfield Hills home and bring some in the room to tears with haunting interpretations of Bach, Boccherini and Mozart.

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The musicians are not just stellar. They are flawless. Their mastery speaks to years of training. They are poised and incredibly focused.

Oh, and they are 13, 16 and 17 years old.

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The reception, or friend-raiser, is billed as a chance to meet Lindo, an actor who has had roles in "The Cider House Rules" and "Ransom," among others. But Lindo said he was playing a minor role, and the event was about the children.

"On a very fundamental level, Sphinx's mission has to do with creating opportunities where an opportunity might not exist ... putting stringed instruments into the hands of these young people. I believe in it wholeheartedly," he said. "I believe in it intellectually. I believe in philosophically. I believe in it emotionally because I have seen the effect of this work."

Sphinx was founded in 1996 by two University of Michigan students -- future violinist and MacArthur Fellow Aaron Dworkin and future teacher Carrie Chester -- solely to destroy cultural stereotypes and encourage black and Latino youths to embrace classical study, mostly strings.

The organization has been embraced nationally -- Yo Yo Ma has taught some students -- and has just expanded to London. But its heart and soul are in Detroit. And what Motown did for "the sound of young America" 50 years ago, this Detroit-based group may do for classical music now.

That is partly why Dworkin keeps the annual competition in Detroit.

"Given Detroit's historical standing in music and the arts, we feel it is critically important to continue its legacy by uplifting and empowering the next generation of artists," Dworkin said a week after the competition. He said he wants to "honor the city as a cultural Mecca and an artistic epicenter."

The organization's success shows what can happen when a person dreams -- and their dreams not only beget other dreams, but help make those other dreams come true.

This dream began with Dworkin, who not only encourages diversity in music, but diversity in education and composition. In addition to the national competition Feb. 17, the organization also hosted SphinxCon, the nation's first convention devoted to diversity in the arts, Dworkin said.

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It may sound simplistic, but it's true: Children carrying violins usually aren't carrying guns.

Contact Rochelle Riley: rriley99@freepress.com

More Details: Watch, listen

To hear the national Sphinx Competition Concert, tune into WRJC-FM (90.9) at 5 p.m. today. To watch the concert, turn to Detroit Public Television at 2 p.m. today. The broadcast also will be available on demand at www.dptv.org.